I Followed a Song from Newcastle
If you’re from the north-east of England, you’ll definitely know the song Blaydon Races – it’s a kind of local anthem. In the song, it’s 1862 and a the singer travels by bus from Newcastle to the nearby town of Blaydon for the horse races. My walk recreates the journey, stopping on the way at all the places that are mentioned in the song. Please watch the video below.
Where I went
I started in Gateshead at the former home of Geordie Ridley, the former coal miner who wrote the song. He was born, lived and died in the same house. From there I walked across the iconic Tyne Bridge to the site of Balmbra’s, the former music hall theatre where the song’s journey began, and I followed it along the Tyne all the way to the original site of the Blaydon Races, marked by a plaque west of Newcastle.
Why a song
The song turned out to be a good guide. It slowed me down and sent me to corners that a normal itinerary would miss. It also gave me a different insight to some places I’d previously visited. Tyneside has a deep musical tradition – music hall, folk, and anthems that locals still know by heart.
What you’ll see in the video
- Great views of the Tyne and the bridges
- The streets and landmarks the song points to: Balmbra’s, Scotswood Road, the Chain Bridge and others
- Parts of Newcastle that you wouldn’t normally see
Practical notes
- Best time of year: April to October – the riverside is exposed in winter.
- How long: at least three hours, more with stops.
- Walkability: mostly fairly flat
- Where to start: I started at Geordie Ridley’s old house, a few minutes’ walk from Gatehead Metro Station. I finished at the plaque marking the former site of the Blaydon Races at a village called Stella, west of Blaydon, from where there were frequent buses back to Newcastle.
- What I wish I had known: The original 1862 bus journey went along Scotswood Road, which in the 1860s had much of interest but these days has been modernised – it’s just a noisy traffic thoroughfare, so there’s no point in walking it. Take the alternative route by the riverside – the video explains.
A little history
The song Blaydon Races contains many historical references which aren’t immediately obvious today; for example the line “When we got to Paradise”. Paradise, as I discovered when researching for this wak, was a small industrial village on the banks of the Tyne, but virtually nothing remains of it today. In the film I discuss and explain these references, based on my research.
Related walks
If you enjoyed this one, you might like these from elsewhere in Britain:
- Quayside to Seaside: Walking from North Shields to Whitley Bay — the coastal walk from the Fish Quay to Whitley Bay.
- My Personal Newcastle: Revisiting Places I’ll Never Forget — a slower walk through the city I keep coming back to.
- Walking Newcastle’s Iconic Bridges — walking the main bridges over the Tyne.
- I Filmed Two Separate Crimes in Newcastle — a short, surreal one from two consecutive days in the city.
- 11 Nostalgic Seaside Clichés: Hunting Them in Bournemouth — hunting eleven seaside clichés on the south coast.
- A Walk Through Time: Rediscovering the Wendover Canal — a quiet walk along a forgotten canal in the Chilterns.
Stay in touch
New walks land on the channel regularly — the easiest way to follow along is to subscribe on YouTube. The full set of written companions to every film lives in The Journal, and there’s a curated set of the longer pieces on the Featured Films page. If you’ve got an idea for somewhere I should walk next, send it through the Contact page — I read everything.
Patrick Ashton is a UK-based filmmaker walking the overlooked corners of Britain and Europe. More about Patrick →
